How to Put Away High Balls in Pickleball Using the Kinetic Chain

Main Points:

• Focus is on putaways for high balls between the waist and head—not overhead smashes.
• Power comes from utilizing the full kinetic chain: legs → hips → shoulders → arm → wrist.
• Most players only use their wrist and shoulder, significantly reducing power.
• Proper stance includes bent knees and slight hip rotation for energy loading.
• Forehand putaway uses a whip-like motion similar to throwing a baseball.
• Backhand putaway mimics throwing a Frisbee, requiring full body engagement.
• Keep the paddle face down at contact to drive the ball downward and avoid hitting out.
• Engaging larger muscle groups (legs, core, shoulders) generates significantly more power.
• Mastering this technique is a major skill gap between intermediate and pro players.

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Summary:
This video focuses on teaching pickleball players how to put away high balls effectively using the kinetic chain—a full-body motion that generates maximum power. Rather than relying solely on the wrist or shoulder, players are shown how to initiate movement from the ground up, starting with the legs and hips, and progressing through the core, shoulders, arm, and wrist. This method unlocks significantly more force for high ball putaways that fall between the waist and head.

The forehand technique mimics the motion of throwing a baseball. By lowering the stance and coiling the body, players can load energy and release it in a whip-like swing that delivers powerful forehand putaways. The video includes clear demonstrations comparing poor technique (using only the wrist or wrist and shoulder) with proper kinetic chain engagement, which leads to more than double the power output.

For the backhand, the video introduces a Frisbee-throwing analogy. Players are encouraged to think of the backhand as a full-body throw, coiling from the legs through the upper body. This helps overcome the common mistake of “poking” at the ball. A key detail is turning the paddle face down during the backswing, ensuring the ball travels downward rather than flying out of bounds.

By mastering the kinetic chain and coiling techniques, players—especially those rated below 5.0—can dramatically increase their ability to finish points. The video emphasizes that this ability often separates intermediate players from high-level competitors.

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Tags: Backhand | Forehand | Kinetic Chain | Put Away | Richard PIckleball